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Our various doctors are starting to play “catch-up” now that we are home again. We began with Dr. Bradley, our dermatologist, who is doing biopsies on spots on our faces. We have yet to work with our cardiologist, proctologist, urologist, internist, gynecologist, and multiple GPs. We hope they don’t have too much more fun at our expense.
Wendy and I had an experience a few days ago, one that happens occasionally while studying the scriptures together with someone else, in which our thoughts and understandings leapfrogged forward together from idea to idea to give us important and delicious insights into gospel truths. This spiritual awakening centered around our understanding and application of the term “entering into the rest of God.”
Wendy was driving the car and I was reading a conferences talk aloud, specifically the April 2010 Priesthood Session talk by Elder Rasband about missionary work (THE DIVINE CALL OF A MISSIONARY, Elder Ronald A. Rasband). He concluded by citing the Lord’s answer to a question raised by the Whitmer brothers to the prophet Joseph: “For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you. And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father.” (Doctrine and Covenants 15:6; 16:6)
Wendy recalled a scriptural insight that I had shared just prior to our leaving for our mission, while working in the Provo temple. I had been assigned that month to work at the veil for a period of a couple of hours. This means that I, along with a number of other brethren, would need to be available to help patrons come through the veil at the end of each endowment session. In the Provo temple, these sessions are scheduled to end about 20 minutes apart. Typically it takes about 8-10 minutes to do this work for each session; then the workers sit together along a back hall waiting for the next session to finish. There are copies of the Book of Mormon available to study while waiting. I found that it was profitable to come back to the same scripture over and over during these brief periods of study.
I had been reading repetitively from Alma chapter 13 (actually 12:26 through the end of 13) over the course of several days and session breaks, when a new meaning came to me regarding the idea of the “rest of God.” This was a chapter whose meaning had always seemed obscure to me, but this new insight opened to me significant understandings not previously available. The insight was this: I had always assumed that the concept of entering into God’s rest referred to being saved in the kingdom of heaven after this life is over. (Alma 13:29 gives this meaning clearly.) The thought came to me that this phrase might have an additional meaning that pertains to this life–the here and now. I got this insight particularly from verse 6, where the prophet Alma is stating how men qualify for the priesthood. Their purpose in the priesthood is to teach others the commandments of God that these persons may enter into God’s rest, just as they themselves have already experienced this state: "And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest." (Alma 13:6)
The word “also” is the key, which communicates the truth that you cannot give someone else something that you do not already have. In this case, it seems that a man must have already “entered into the rest of God” in order to qualify to receive the priesthood and to be able to teach others those things that would qualify them to ALSO enter into God’s rest.
What might it mean then, to enter into God’s rest in a temporal sense? Scattered through Alma chapters 12 and 13 seem to be descriptions of this state:
“have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins” (12:34)
[have received a] “preparatory redemption” (13:3)
“being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God” (13:12)
“establish peace in the land” (13:18)
“be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts” (13:28-29)
A person entering into this temporal state of rest appears to be having experienced something of the redemptive power of the Savior, knowing a forgiveness of sins and experiencing the Spirit’s peace, joy, and love.
But what does it mean to “rest” with someone else in God’s kingdom in this temporal sense, as noted in the Lord’s instruction to the Whitmers? Wendy and I considered the added joys to be had when experiencing these blessings mutually with persons you have helped to become converted to the Gospel. We though of our love for Todd and Tabatha and their love for us and how we felt when with them. We mentioned how easy the relationship felt, the lack of stress or tension as we interacted, that a perfect unity seemed to exist, a “happy reunion and sweetest communion.” (The Day Dawn is Breaking, hymnal, p. 52)
We noted Alma’s joyful reunion with the sons of Mosiah as they were returning from 14 years of missionary work among the Lamanites: “Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren: and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth...” (Alma 17:2) These missionaries also rejoiced in their relationships with their Lamanite converts: ”Blessed be the name of our God; let us sing to his praise, yea, let us give thanks to his holy name... For if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still... have been strangers to God.” (Alma 26:8-9)
Wendy and I then shared this insight, “We have this kind of secure, loving, joyful unity with many others.” We started to name some–other people in Mt. Zion and from previous wards and from our temple callings, our Lewis sons and daughters and their spouses and older children, Wendy’s siblings and their spouses, my sister Dorothy, many of the missionaries both young and senior with whom we served in North Carolina, etc.
We are grateful for these spiritual insights, but more especially, the opportunity to live out their application in our relationships with many wonderful people.
The ward and stake moved pretty quickly to put us back to work in the Church. We each got some assignments Sunday. Starting July, Wendy has a visiting teaching district with three families. I also received a home teaching assignment. They gave me and my companion only one family, but the people look like they need us quite a lot, so maybe one family will be enough for us.
I got two other assignments on Sunday. First, I was asked by the ward Emergency Preparedness leader to again be a Block Captain for the ward's program. Second, the Stake President's Second Counselor asked me to serve as a Scouting Unit Commissioner in this stake. In well-run Stakes and Scouting Districts, Unit Commissioners are assigned as aides to a small number of scouting units. In this case I will have two wards to help, support, offer training and encouragement, etc. regarding the functioning of their Troops, Varsity Teams, and Venturing Crews.
We also made a commitment to support the ward choir. There is a lot of talent in the leadership of the choir and we are believing that it will be a gratifying experience. The director is Bruce Seely, who has just completed a 5 year stint as a member of the Tabernacle Choir and is very experienced musically. Professionally, he is a host/announcer for a classical music program for KBYU-FM. The choir accompanist is Don Cook, who is a professor in the BYU music department, teaching organ.
1) The Book of Mormon is foundational to our testimonies of the truthfulness of the restored Gospel. It provides “convincing evidence” that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and, by extension, that this is God’s true Church and Thomas S. Monson is God’s prophet today.
2) Better that any other writing, the Book of Mormon answers the “great questions of the soul” and through its study and application, enables us to get closer to God. Especially significant as evidence of the latter is the obtaining of a spiritual witness that one has a remission of sins and is currently on the path to eternal life, through the restored Gospel.
3) There is great joy in teaching the gospel, particularly in telling the stories of and testifying about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the restoration of the Gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith
4) A wonderful bond of love develops with persons you helped to receive the Gospel.
5) The object of all of our work is not simply to get people into the Church but to get them to the temple. The temple ceremonies and covenants are extensions of and enlarge upon the covenant of baptism. The temple deepens our desire and ability to take his name upon us, to always remember him, and keep his commandments. Through worshipping in the temple, and through "honorably holding a name and standing in the temple", we may become “established” in God’s kingdom for ourselves and for all family generations. (D&C 109:24)
6) Where love exists in marriages and families, the temple provides the ultimate support and enhancement to this love. Every great love story needs and deserves the temple.
7) The Lord is in charge and very directly involved with this work, miracles happen constantly around us, and we need to see them and recognize them.
8) Missionaries are most effective when they allow the Spirit to direct their work. Spiritual direction comes best when we actively seek answers to specific questions. Along with the scriptures, conferences and the temple are important sources of revelation, especially if we go early to ponder, ask, and seek.
9) Most of the young missionaries have wonderful commitments to the work. They are obedient, diligent, and full of faith.
10) We learned that there is a higher level of appreciativeness and service, based upon the examples of the young missionaries, to observe and readily express gratitude for the many things that others do for us, and to constantly ask others what we call our NCRM missionaries' Golden Question: “What can we do for you?”
11) Senior missionaries can do a tremendous amount of good, but there is a big shortage of applicants. In the North Carolina Raleigh Mission, during the time we were out, the Church could never supply the mission with its full quota.
12) Seniors will never go on missions if they wait until all obstacles are overcome. The way to be able to go is to commit to the Lord to serve a mission as soon as possible, then let the Lord clear the way.
13) We developed greater love for and understanding of our Lewis family North Carolina and southern roots, including:
- Southern country culture, foods, speech, flowers, trees, etc.
- North Carolina contributions to our nation’s history
- Revolutionary and Civil War battles and sites
- Local geography and places where our ancestors lived
- Specific family history details and resources
- Acquaintanceship with wonderful distant cousins
- History of missionary work and growth of the Church in Eastern North Carolina
[Our talks in Sacrament meeting in the Wolf Hollow 2nd ward on June 13th and our testimonies to the Spanish Fork South Stake High Council on June 17th were mostly centered on these items.]
I was reminded, as some people talked about their fathers in our Sunday School class today, of an area for which I have great appreciation for my Dad. I suppose that it may also have blessed my children.
My Dad did not have an ideal relationship with his father, although he supported him and worked with him after he reached adulthood. At one time Daddy said that his father's philosophy of rearing boys was that you have to "break their spirit" like some people break horses to ride. As the oldest boy he was often the target of rather severe physical punishment, including whippings with a belt. There was a day, when he was about 16 years old, when he was working with his father on their Glenwood farm. His father became angry at him for some reason and said, “Come here, boy. I am going to whup you” and started to remove his belt The normal pattern was for Daddy to obey and get his punishment. Daddy reported that the thought came to him that he was could outrun his father and that he was bigger and stronger and in better physical condition. Normally not combative, he looked at his father and said, “You touch me and I’ll kill you.” Daddy reported that my Grandfather never touched him again. He thought that things became better for his younger brothers, Harold and Russell, also.
We have come to learn that abuse of children seems to run in families, and people often repeat the patterns of their parents with their own children. My Dad resolved, and never broke this resolve, to totally avoid the use of physical punishment with his own children. I am eternally grateful for his love and strength of will to be able break this cycle of abusive parenting and to pass to his children a more constructive pattern of child-rearing.
It was quite satisfying to get our hands in the dirt for the first time in a long time. We spent much of the day working in our garden. Andy Adams, bless him, planted a couple of tomato plants and two summer squash hills for us. We added to this by putting 12 more tomato plants in, and planting peas, swiss chard, carrots, some butternut squash, and Big Max pumpkins.
While weeding we noticed that we had a pretty good crop of pig weed (or lamb’s quarter). In honor of the Utah pioneers and my mother (who fed us well with pig weed), I picked a panfull to eat for dinner. We discussed boiling it for four hours with hamfat then chopping it into a fine mush and adding quite a lot of vinegar to taste. But we were hungry so decided to lightly steam it and serve it without other flavoring or condiments–maybe just a little salt plus a dab of butter for Wendy. Wendy was a little skeptical about this delicacy, but concluded that it was “Very good, like a mild spinach.”
I have such tender feelings for my children and grandchildren. I am thinking about David and Valerie and their families being many miles away. I know that time and distance sometimes cause such relationships to wane or be lost. Both of my grandmothers experienced significant disconnection from their family roots through moves.
Grandma Lewis (top) left her family in Floyd County VA in 1908 to move to Washington State with her husband and three children. She went back once–in about 1930–with her youngest, Lorene, age 5. By this time here dad had died, but her mother was still living. (She would pass away three years later.) I called Aunt Lorene and asked her if she knew whether her mother had missed her family in Virginia. She remembered that there were letters sent back and forth with the Virginia relatives. She said that being the youngest she didn’t have personal knowledge of how things were initially when the family moved west. Her mother was very even tempered and low-key and positive in her attitudes, and didn’t show negative emotions. Lorene did recall that family members said that at first her mother had been quite homesick and as a result had lost quite a lot of weight, getting down to 120 pounds.
Grandma Davenport (bottom) left her family in Logan shortly after her marriage at age 21 (3 Oct 1901) to live with her husband in Hood River OR. She was by far the youngest child in her family, born when her mother was 47 years old. (She had 9 siblings who ranged in age from 9 to 27 when she was born.) She was born after the family’s pioneering period was over and when her family had prospered financially, and was much loved and spoiled by all. She was a tender, sensitive woman who occasionally suffered from depression in later life. She had a very close relationship with her mother. I think she went back to Logan to have her first child, Franklin, near her mother (31 Oct 1902). Other children were born in Hood River OR. She may have returned to Logan on other occasions (there was a fairly direct passenger train route from Hood River to northern U
tah), but communicated primarily with her mother by regular letters. Her mother died in 1912 in Logan at the age of 80 years. According to family members, Grandma Davenport was so distraught by this loss, that in a fit of frustration, burned all of her mother’s letters.
In our day, we have been blessed with a lot of tools for maintaining family relationships that were not available to my grandmothers. Here are my current thoughts about a strategy for keeping up family relationships at a distance:
1) Blog or e-mail with pictures on a regular basis, to maintain a sort of consistent and permanent journal of details about our own selves and household, that is available to all who care. Try to have at least a weekly entry.
2) Web phone conferences, using on-line resource such as Skype (about monthly, to include all family members), for immediate and personal interaction, especially with children and family members who are not the family blogger/e-mailer.
3) Phone calls, as often as needed/desired.
4) Personal visits, when possible.
5) Social media such as Facebook connections, to make sure that something important is not missed. (Lower priority)
6) Stay abreast of and use new technological options, whatever they might be, when they become available and improve on any of the above.
We had a fine meeting with President Kim Christensen Wednesday evening to be released from our mission. He is our new Stake President, as our Wolf Hollow 2nd ward was recently moved from the SF East Stake to the SF South Stake. He was new to Wendy, but I (Robert) had a relationship with him from working with him in the Palmyra Scouting District Venturing program when I first came to Spanish Fork in the fall of 2005.
We retired our name badges as we left President Christensen's office with our release certificates.
While in Salt Lake for doctor's appointments, we did an endowment session at each of the new Salt Lake Valley temples, Draper on the 17th and Oquirrh Mountain today. And we enjoyed being the witness couple at today's session.
